As the world and modern technology evolve more rapidly than ever, so do content and memes on the internet. In 2024, the term “brain rot” was coined to describe viral memes on social media, particularly TikTok and YouTube shorts. These memes are considered brain rot because they are perceived to bring down one’s intelligence levels through viewing. There have certainly been mixed reactions on the internet to the sudden rise of brain rot content. While some find these memes hilarious, others regard them as cringy and straight-up stupid. Jack Dragoumanos ’26 shared his opinion on media brain rot and popular TikTok terminology: “I think that TikTok terms like sigma and Skibidi are great ways to express ourselves differently than we normally would. Instead of saying ‘I’m cool,’ I could spice up my statement by saying, ‘I’m the alpha Skibidi sigma with W rizz,’ and it could add a humorous aspect, or allow my statement to resonate with my peers.” Following Jack’s thought-provoking statement, this article will briefly explain five of the most popular terms that fall under the category of media brain rot.
1. Sigma
A sigma is the top dog; one who travels separate from the rest of the wolfpack. This term is often used when describing someone as a “sigma male,” declaring their dominance over others. Recently, the phrase “What the sigma” has also suddenly gained popularity, often used as a reaction phrase to express shock, confusion, or disdain.
2. RizzRrizzler
In 2023, “rizz” was one of the most popular slang words of the year. However, its usage has decreased and is now seen as cringeworthy, thus labeled as brain rot. A rizzler is one who has W rizz. It is even further down in the depths of brain rot than rizz.
3. You Are My Sunshine
Although the song “You Are My Sunshine” is not a form of brain rot, the content derived from the song is. The song rose to popularity when it was used as a meme to praise LeBron James ironically. Many alternate versions of the song have since been made, such as LeBomboclaat, LeEvil, LeDisco, and many more.
4. Skibidi toilet
Skibidi Toilet is a series of YouTube shorts that follows a war between toilets with human heads and robots with electronic devices as heads. The series has a much younger audience, namely children under 13. However, the internet has picked up the term “Skibidi,” throwing it around without any real meaning.
5. Ohio
When referring to something outlandish or absurd, people say “such and such would only happen in Ohio,” or “bro gotta be from Ohio.” This term was a popular meme in 2022 and has since been regarded as extremely cringe and thus brain rot.
